Philly Future

April 25, 2006

It's that time of the week again! It'll be nice to wind down the day with a few drinks [$1 off specials] and free Buffalo wings at Tangier [1801 Lombard St] from 6p - 9p. It always is. And volunteering more and more hours every week on the Pennacchio campaign, [it's basically a 2nd job at this point, a fun job, but 2nd job-like hours!] the little breaks here and there are that much more fun.

I wonder if we'll have a few more visitors, some of those entrenched folk, after the article and the Doc's invitation. Either way, it's 70° and I'll be drinking a Guinness outside.

April 24, 2006

That's the headline of an article in today's Daily News. I'm in it. It's about the young progressive movement going on here in Philly. And if you actually buy the paper for 60¢, you'll be treated to a pic of me, Hannah and Chris. Puzzling why Philly.com doesn't post all the photos that make it into the paper, maybe that's just the premium for the paper version. Aside from my own ego pumping, there is some juicy stuff in there.

Chris noted how we've come across quite a bit of pushback

We have received significant and very disturbing pushbacks from city committee... It's extremely counterproductive when you consider that a vast majority of what we're doing is challenging for seats where no one is doing anything.

Lucey [the writer] asked Congressman Bob Brady, the Philadelphia Democratic party chairman, about the pushback and he had this to say:

I'm not aware of it, nor am I concerned about it... Everybody has the right to run.

That's really funny. REALLY FUCKING FUNNY. Why? Because I remember being passed a few letters via a friend. One of them from the desk of Bob Brady, on Philadelphia Democratic Executive Committee letterhead and all that stated:

It has come to my attention that there is an organized effort to file petitions to become a Democratic committee person in many wards in the city. It is clear that this effort has been started by forces that seek to polarize and destroy this party. I strongly urge you to oppose their efforts. I suggest that you immediately notify me at City Committee of the divisions where this has occurred. I will have the petition reviewed to determine if it is defective. If it is, I will assist you in filing a petition with the Common Pleas Court to have the person stricken from the ballot on behalf of your designated candidate in that division.

We are a family united. As your leader and friend, I will fight to make sure we remain united.

I will also prepare withdrawal slips for these individuals that filed and I will try to have them withdrawn.

Does he not recall the letter he wrote and signed on March 8, 2005? It's shit like this that makes Hannah's words ring so true:

The Democratic Party will wither and die unless active people get involved.

I know of much nastier stuff going on than a simple letter.

And the ending of the story is just priceless with a quote from Terry Gillen, 30th ward leader. She sent out a letter of her own in defense of the sitting committeepeople which said, in part:

I wanted to pass along a letter from the Chairman of our Democratic Party, Bob Brady. He is concerned that many committeeperson throughout the City are being challenged by outsiders who are trying to created division within the Democratic Party and within some of our wards and divisions. I personally believe that some of the people who are doing this are working hand in hand with the republican [sic] Party.

This week, some committeepeople may receive a notice that their petition is being challenged in court. If you receive this notice, let me assure you that Bob and I and the Democratic Party will go to court and fight to make sure that you can run for reelection. Democratic Party lawyers will argue your case for free in order to keep your name on the ballot. We will do this because we all need to stick together and fight these people who want to divide us.

Let me know as soon as soon as possible if you receive a legal challenge of if you believe that someone is trying to remove your name from the ballot.

If we stick together we can stay strong. We won't play into the Republicans' hands and allow anyone to divide us!

The story ended with this:

What I hope doesn't happen is you have people knocking off longtime committeepeople and then dropping out in two years because it's boring.

It seems that she has failed to notice how her us are the ones who are now bored with the job and not doing a thing now. That's why we're running. The Party is broken here in Philadelphia. It is rotting from the inside out. I'm proud to say that I'm part of the fresh blood that wants to gut this rotting tree and plant a new forest of progressive change.

To think that people running for committeeperson are doing it for shits and giggles and aren't really committed to the job is such fucking bullshit. Who wants to take on another job wich pays nothing; takes up a good chunk of time in election cycles; is the first contact from the private citizens; and did I mention this is basically a volunteer gig which pays nothing? Committeepeople are almost a free customer service department for the city. Don't like the pothole on your block? Walk up to your committeeperson in the grocery store and tell them. A stop sign fall down? Knock on your committeeperson's door and tell them. Need help trying to get a cutout in a sidewalk? Let your committeeperson know and s/he'll send it up the ladder. What crazy fucks want that job? Crazy fucks like me. And crazy fucks like me have more crazy friends who are also running. Thank you everyone who is are committed to and running for change: Chris, Danie, Sabra, Marc, Stephanie, Andrea, Robin, Hannah, Sam...

April 23, 2006

I found out earlier today that one of my best friends from college [down in DC at American University], who is currently finishing up grad school at Cornell's top notch Hotel Administration school, will be settling down in Tennessee. He's taken some pretty cool trips in his two years and was interviewing all over the US for the last couple of months.

I'm incredibly happy for him. I'm happy for me too, it's another place for me to visit a friend! I've never been down there before. Maybe it'll be the next spot where the DC crew spends July 4th. A few of us have been celebrating our nation's independence each year in a different city where one of us has moved to since college. One of us may be out of the country for the summer though. A road trip to Tennessee would be pretty cool. I've always wanted to sample some TN BBQ. I hear that shit's the bomb.

April 12, 2006

Last night's first anniversary of Drinking Liberally at Tangier [1801 Lombard St] was very much cake-filled as promised. They laid out a ginormous cake for us. A yummy bread cake with cinnamon swirling through the insides throughout. I don't think I've ever had such a cake.

After chowing down on a plateful of Buffalo wings and a French dip sandwich [yummy], I helped myself to a piece of cake. Then went back for another. But before I had one, the Noz gobbled down two. He went back inside [we were all outside, it was oh so nice out] for a third. And after going inside to settle up for the night, I snagged a third piece for myself. I'm not sure if Noz had another piece, but if he did, I will say that he didn't eat a proper meal beforehand and had more room for cake. Mmmm... cake.

April 11, 2006

The good folks at Tangier [1801 Lombard St] tell us that it's been a year since we've been coming there, I think they're a little bit off, but who the hell am I to argue with our hosts! One year at Tangier! And they're marking the occassion with some special somethings.

The usual $1 off drink specials and free [delicious] wings from 6p - 9p, but I hear there's more to come. Will it be party hats? Some info telling us that BushCo is leaving? Cake? Free bottles of hotsauce for all? Whatever it is, I want some.

April 03, 2006

Easily one of my favorite photoblogs out there, let alone here in Philly is Brad Maule's PhillySkyline.com. A collection of incredible photo essays of Philly's myriad neighborhoods and beyond. I interviewed him at Philly Future a few months back and got to learn a little more about him in the process which was really cool. And today, everyone can read about him in the Metro on his quest to rename the Graduate Hospital area "G-Ho" as he stated in this photo essay.

Go grab a copy of the Metro and look at the bottom of the front page or download this .pdf of the whole paper.

Help Brad spread the word and convince the South of South Neighborhood Association to adopt G-Ho! Yes, the name is one part joke, but also at least one part reality. Sometimes it's something as stupid as a catchy name to get people to move there. SoSo isn't the best nickname for a neighborhood, makes the area sound, well, so-so and that's not good.

March 25, 2006

It all started with this post on Will's blog Attytood about a theoretical concept. People from PNI management, the Inky, the Daily News, the Philly blog community and well beyond. The discussion started off online and gained steam and finally a date was decided upon and there we were at 9a this morning in the Annenberg School. Dan Rubin has a nice wrap up of the day here. I'm gonna be posting more photos tonight and tomorrow.

March 14, 2006

Staying late at work and headed straight to Tangier [1801 Lombard] for Drinking Liberally 6p - 9p for $1 off drink specials and some free wings.

Maybe we can all discuss Stephen Colbert picking Sen. Bill Frist as the winner of the 2008 Presidential election. Colbert called the election at 11.35p last night. He said that one could jump the gun, but he jumped it first.

He did use the 'DaColbert Code' to predict the top five awards at the Oscars. Amazing. The new Swami!

March 13, 2006

I spent two hours on Sunday underneath Pennsylvania Avenue around the Art Museum travelling through an underground abandoned tunnel. The CSX freight trains use the set of tracks leading to the tunnel, but splits off into another tunnel. Andi, Maria, Steve, Mike and Judd plus me explored several blocks worth of tunnel. The shot above is of three saplings which are growing underneath the streets. I'm assuming that some seeds floated through the metal grating and that there's plenty of light shining through there each day plus the rain water so those saplings could one day bust up right through the grating and into the oncoming traffic.

I really wanted to head to the St. Patrick's Day Parade to take photos before I met the gang, but it was drizzling/raining right up until I left the house at 1p or so. Oh well. The cab ride to meet everyone by the southern end of Boathouse Row at Lloyd Hall was a bitch too - had to get around the parade with the entire Parkway blocked off.

So much graffiti down there! The first fifty yards or so of the tunnel were covered with it. It was quite refreshing in a city with not too much graffiti on the streets and in the alleyways.

My flickr set of thirty-eight shots from the outing. I was the only one in the group without a tripod. I hate those things. I definitely missed some nice shots that definitely required a tripod for long exposure, but I just hate lugging that thing around.